Thursday, January 31, 2013

1/12 of 2013 in the bag

For 2013 I am budgeting my clothing allowance based on the entire year. Sound crazy? Read more about it { here }

I have to admit that after telling the entire WORLD how much I was going to spend on clothes & inviting everyone to watch as I crash & burn learn how to budget I was more tentative than usual with my shopping this month.

Man those after-Christmas sales sang to me like the Sirens on the Shore making me want to BUY. IT. ALL! But I think I did a pretty good job keeping my wits about me & picked up some great versatile items for my closet.

Best closet staple purchase : a cotton J.Crew Factory Day Dress (actually identical to the one I dreamed of buying here, but for 1/4 of the price! cha-ching)

Purchase I want to wear every single day : J.Crew striped sequin top (current only in limited sizes, but also drooling over this one)

So what came home with me in January?

1.
J.Crew sequin striped
top (worn here): originally $128.00, on sale
for 30% off 44.99 = final price of $31.49

2.
J.Crew silk blythe blouse (worn here): originally
$110, on sale for 30% off $59.99 = final price of $41.99

I'm loving this Jessica! Looking forward to seeing how it progresses during the year. Brilliant idea and a good way of keeping track of expenditure…we fritter away so much I'm sure every month but to write it down is very sobering! Keep up the good work…Avril xx

Wow, good for you for sticking to a budget and tracking it on your blog to make yourself accountable! I think this may motivate me to put my budget on paper too! Great purchases, you got some really good wardrobe staples! And love the clutch!

I really need to do better with a budget. I just kind of make it up each month based on how I feel, if I made any extra moola, and how much I spent the month before. I'm a big saver so it's been working for me... but really I should be better.

Wow! You did so well with everything you got! We spent around the same (I think I spent $160 with my last-minute birthday dress purchase). I love that blue and striped dress! I was under budget by $40 and anytime I do that I'm going to put it into my savings. Then I feel good about my budget and saving money ;) We shall see how I do in March though... I have a feeling shopping in Vegas is going to kill my budgeting.

Wow girl you got some great deals! I like your approach of looking at it from a year's worth of spending because let's face it...those Black Friday sales or seasonal clearances are just good times to get some great deals! I need to follow suit and make a wish list now that I am budgeting for clothing now...I bet it helps to have a list to stick to and reference!Valeriewww.the-style-files.com

That is so what I was going for - I usually spend less during the hot summer months when wearing clothes is the last thing I want to be doing, but then blow it during the Fall sales. So this way if I splurge one month, I can adjust the rest of my year spending accordingly. I also did make a wish list here.

Thank you. It is hard to let everyone know how much I spend, as I'm sure people will think that I should be spending less/more/whatever... but this monthly shopping confession sure does keep me honest. Every time I am considering making a purchase, I have to think about what it will feel like sharing it with the world!xx

That is a really smart idea, to transfer any unused shopping funds to your savings. I think I would just roll that amount into my shopping budget for the next month! Shopping in Vegas! Sounds amazing!!!xx

That is how I was last year, and it seriously got out of control some months (September & October were very tempting will all those sales!!), so I am trying to make a conscious effort to actually know and document how much of my take-home pay I actually spend on clothes!xx

Exactly. It is so easy for me to say, well I picked up a few pieces this month, but they were only x, y or z amount... but then once I add it all up I am always shocked. You guys are all my accountability partners now!xx

I am such a fan of budgets! For me I spend less than 10% of my monthly take home pay on shopping, but it is really my only big expense besides the bills that I can't control (rent, utilities, etc.). If you are just starting out, maybe try setting aside 5% of your take home pay and see how well you do with that. The next month you can increase/decrease according to you habits and personal income.xx

You did score some great deals this month! And further proof that we share a brain - I got that same striped top, but in the purple/navy combo! I've been a really bad budgeting blogger, I need to do my January post this instant!

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